Astoria: The New Face of NYC

The new face of NYC tourism is going to be Astoria – as announced by the city’s official marketing team: NYC&Company. The month long showcase is part of a 10 month campaign showcasing different neighborhoods in New York City.

Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC&Company raved about the neigborhood, saying, ““From the remarkable Greek and international cuisine, to the fascinating cultural and arts scene, we are pleased to be promoting all there is to see and do in Astoria. We invite visitors from around the world and across the United States to discover and rediscover Astoria.”

Now – we’re sure you’ll all have lots of strong feelings about this! We can definitely see both sides of the coin.

On one hand, increased tourism means more people shopping at local stores, and eating at locally owned restaurants. We’ve been hearing a lot about mom and pop shops shutting down because they can’t afford rent – the increased foot traffic will help their revenues, and might be the kick-start the need to head in an upwards direction.

On the other hand… we’re already losing a lot of retail and residential space to big time Manhattan developers. If Astoria is the new “hip,” place to be in New York City, you can bet the number of developers looking to scoop up space will increase exponentially.

Here’s a video on the NYC GO website, which was captioned: “Astoria is home to a thriving arts community, rich Greek heritage and the oldest operating movie studio in the United States. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to trace the roots of NYC’s rarefied place in the entertainment industry to this Queens neighborhood. Learn about the area’s history and new hot spots from the residents who know it best in our short documentary.”

What are your thoughts, Astoria? Are you ready to be the face of New York City?